Toronto, Ontario, Canada singer/songwriter The Weeknd ending a 5 year trilogy with his 6th studio LP. Rising to stardom in the early 2010s with a trilogy of highly acclaimed mixtapes, he then made his full-length debut in 2013 with Kiss Land which was a decent attempt at symbolizing tour life forming his own Republic Records imprint X❤️O Records after nearly signing to Drake’s label OVO Sound. The sophomore effort Beauty Behind the Madness proved to be even better as it started to incorporate elements of pop, although Starboy ended up being another mixed bag much like Kiss Land except he embraced a more electropop sound. Abel’s debut EP My Dear Melancholy, though was a solid return to his alternative R&B roots & let’s not forget After Hoursgoing on to becoming the best album of his career thus far in my opinion. Dawn FM picked up right where it left off & the final chapter Hurry Up Tomorrow is finally upon us.
“Wake Me Up” produced with Oneohtrix Point Never & Mike Dean is this epic 2-part intro to begin the end balancing synthwave & synth-funk started singing about his legacy being the only thing he has & it feels as if he’s dying whereas “Cry for Me” works in more synthesizers & hi-hats thanks to Metro Boomin’ interpolating “Within” by Daft Punk hoping that a woman I presume to be his ex Bella Hadid still cries for him. After the “I Can’t Fucking Sing” skit which I highly disagree with it’s title, “São Paulo” featuring Anitta was the weakest single of the 3 although I appreciate the fusion of funk mandelão, alternative R&B, synthwave, funk automotivo, mega funk & Brazilian phonk.
After the “Until We’re Skin & Bones” skit, the 3rd single “Baptized in Fear” dives into the feeling of being overwhelmed by guilt & regret going for more of a general alternative R&B vibe while “Open Hearts” explores themes of healing from heartbreak & learning to love again treats his love interest as an angel in disguise. The criminally short “Opening Night” sings over a futuristic instrumental to give him what I want & the show will start just before “Reflections Laughing” featuring a verse & drumless production from honorary WWE Hardcore Champion Travis Scott fresh off appearing with former WWE Intercontinental Champion & 10-time WWE tag team champion Jey Uso at the Netflix premiere of Monday Night RAW made possible by TKO board of directors members WWE President Nick Khan alongside TKO President & COO Mark Shapiro brings the 2 together to talk about vulnerability, self-reflection & the pressures of fame.
“Enjoy the Show” featuring Future has a clever interpolation of “Can’t Feel My Face” making way for both of them coming together for a light R&B-inspired duet revolving around the concept of heartbreak leading into the 2-parter “Given Up on Me” asking God for his company preferring the final half more personally. “I Can’t Wait to Get There” brings a synth-funk flare to the table singing about the darkness keeping his romantic interest shining ahead of the official WrestleMania XLI theme song “Timeless” featuring Playboi Carti with Doechii on the remix uniting over a Pharrell beat uniquely molding trap, pop rap, alternative R&B, synthwave, cloud rap, trap soul, wave music & plugg.
Meanwhile on “Niagara Falls”, we have another 2-part track portraying The Weeknd looking back on a woman he used to love & got to hold until the sun used to come up while “Take Me Back to LA” comes across as a official sequel to the After Hours highlight “Escape from LA” wanting to return to the very city that he wanted to escape from nearly 5 years ago. “Big Sleep” hooks up some prominent synths telling his lover that she knows she loves it when she’s angry while the synth-funk driven “Give Me Mercy” sings about wanting God to grant him leniency.
“Drive” starts the final leg of Hurry Up Tomorrow confessing fame being a disease & not wanting to waste others’ time while “The Abyss” describes the fleetingness of love between him & his partner in the midst of the world erupting into despair. “Red Terror” goes for an electro-pop direction showcasing a distanced relationship that never loses its primary spark while the synth-based “Without a Warning” hopes his fans will love him until his final day.
The title track officially concludes The Weeknd’s swan song hoping he finds what he’s looking for being done with the lies & the loss genuinely hopping his confession of wanting to change is enough transitioning into “High for This” while “Dancing in the Flames” starts the deluxe run with a decent teaser of what was to come synthpop, dance-pop, synthwave, freestyle & Hi-NRG encapsulating the idea of a passionate love that endures through risks & chaos. “Runaway” acoustically assures all are safe in the afterlife while “Society” is a dance-pop number wanting to show his lover how it feels. The final bonus track “Closing Night” that the Swedish House Mafia & Wheezy laced together ends with a “Opening Night” sequel that’s more fleshed out than the predecessor.
Whatever’s next for Abel this point forward, the new trilogy of albums that he’s put out during the first half of this current decade shows how much he’s grown since House of Balloons, Thursday & Echoes of Silence all put him in the forefront of alternative R&B & now pop music in general. The production culminates in alternative R&B, synthpop, synthwave, trap, progressive electronic, dance-pop, synth-funk, drumless, funk mandelão, funk automotivo, mega funk, Brazilian phonk, pop rap, cloud rap, trap soul, wave, plugg, synthpop, freestyle & Hi-NRG music reaching a point in his life where he wants to to shed skin & be reborn.
Score: 4.5/5
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